


You'd Do The Same For Me

by IminHamiltonHell (IminUndertaleHell)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex has really bad anxiety, Alternate Universe - Teachers, F/F, I am Lams trash, I am now Hamilton trash, JAdams is also a dickhead, M/M, Panic Attacks, Philip is a demigirl w/ they & them pronouns, TJeff is a dickhead, i've spent the past four days on this, laf is nb and uses they/them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-30 17:24:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6433507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IminUndertaleHell/pseuds/IminHamiltonHell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the world seems to be at it's highest point, it can all come crashing down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Attack

**Author's Note:**

> I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS.
> 
> Contact me if you wish at my Tumblr: the-flaming-creampuff

_ It’s official, I hate this job. _

Alexander sat at his desk, a blank page staring at him from his computer. It was nine-thirty, but he couldn’t tell if that was in the morning or at night. Nonetheless, he’s been staring at this page for what only seems like a short while. In reality, he had been staring at it for about an hour. 

“How do I not need glasses by this point,” he muttered as he took his eyes off of the computer. There was a small plate next to his computer, a note attached to the top. He grabbed it and opened it.

‘ _ John wanted me to give this plate to you, but I have something to say to you. _

_ Go home. _

_ John really needs you right now, and you really need to take a break. _

_ -A. Burr’ _

Alexander fumbles with his phone and sees that he had missed about six calls from John, still in slight confusion as to why Burr would be the one telling him that he needed a break. He sighed and tugged lightly at his hair as he called John back. 

“Have you been ignoring me,” John asked, clearly distressed.

“Sorry dear, I was a bit caught up in work. Is everything alright?”

“You know how I told you that I have a daughter, and she lives with her mother and grandparents?”

“Let me guess, she’s living with us now.” He only heard John sigh and Alex knew exactly what was going on. “I’ll be home in ten minutes. I haven’t been able to work much today anyways.”

“Alright dear, see you soon.” With that, John hung up. Alex leaned back in his chair, pulling at his hair again. He only sighed as he stood up, gathering his things in the process. He shut his laptop off and put it into his bag. He plugged it in, knowing that he would most likely be back in a few hours. Hurrying out the door, he ran to his car and started it. 

As he drove, he ended up running a few red lights. Did he really care? No, John needed him at home and he had to get there. When he pulled up to their apartment building, he patted his pockets. Sighing, he buzzed their apartment number.

“Alex, did you forget your key in the mailbox again?” John was laughing.

“Probably.” The door unlocked, and Alex ran up the six flights of stairs to their apartment. It wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small. It was a good size for the two of them, but how was it going to be large enough for a three-year-old? 

He opened the door slowly as to not hit anyone. He heard yelling and small footsteps, and a small girl was standing in front of him only seconds later. She gave him a look of confusion. “Who are you?” 

He kneeled down in front of her. “You must be Frances. I’m Alexander.” He used his foot to close the door.

“Why are you here?”

“I live here with your father.” He smiled at her as he sat on the floor. When sitting, he was still taller than she was. He chuckled lightly as John leaned on the doorway.

She had to think for a second, but her face soon lit up with realization. “You’re the cherry!” Alex broke down laughing, falling over in the process as John walked over and helped him up. John then turned and picked Frances up.

“What do you mean by that,” Alex asked John, still laughing.

He turned his head to Frances. “Alex is ‘ma cherie’, Frances.”

“Oh, I remember what that means!” She turned to Alex. “He said that you are his dear.”

“And you are ma petite amour,” John laughed as Frances gave him a hug. “Do you remember what that one means?” She contemplated for a second before shaking her head. Alex leaned in and whispered the answer. She smiled and poked John in the cheek. “I’m your little love!” They all started to laugh again.

“ _ I’ve never seen him this happy, _ ” Alex thought to himself. “ _ It’s adorable. _ ”

“You’re pretty cute when you’re happy too, Alex.”

“Did I say that outloud?”

“Sure did!” Frances started laughing and she squirmed for John to let her go. He set her down and she ran to the living room. The two followed her and saw that she had become distracted by some colorful kids show that was playing.

“Want some coffee,” John asked.

Alex shook his head. “I am swearing off coffee for the next month after tonight.” John gave him a look of confusion. “Let’s just say, Burr and Jefferson are going to kill me at work tomorrow, and I have had about three pots of coffee in the past four or so hours.”

“You drank all of their coffee  _ again _ ? I’m not picking it up from the store this time, it’s all you.” John started laughing as he got Alex a glass of water. “Are you hungry? I made dinner, and I can warm it up.”

“I’ll eat in a little bit.” John handed him the glass of water and Alex downed it in one gulp.

“Are you alright, Alex?”

“Yeah, I’ve just been staring at a blank page for the past while.” There was a knock at the door. Alex hurried over and opened the door. “Laf, it is nine o’clock. What are you- are you drunk?”

John heard Laf laughing. “Just a bit, Hammy.”

“You’re more than ‘a bit’ drunk.” Alex turned to John. “You take care of them and I’ll take Frances upstairs to bed.” He hurried from the door and over to Frances.

“Got it, Alex.” He helped Lafayette into the kitchen as Alex lifted Frances off of the floor. She had fallen asleep at one point while watching her show, so he just lifted up the bundle of blankets and brought her up the stairs. When he got to the spare room that John had seemed to be trying to set up for her. He smiled as he tucked her in, planting a small kiss on her head. He walked out, running his hands through his hair, pulling it slightly. His scalp still stung, but he kept pulling on it as he leaned on one of the walls. 

It helped him calm down, and he didn’t know why. Then again, there are many things that happen to him that he can’t explain. He tugged harder and harder, but it wasn’t calming him down. 

_ Ting _

_ Ting  _

_ Ting _

Alex stopped to run his hand through his hair and felt that he had about thirty or so strands of hair intertwined in his fingers. He still felt the tight feeling in his chest, and he continued to pull. He heard John walking slowly up the stairs and stayed put. John hurried over to him, kneeling in front of him. 

“Alex,” John cooed as he intertwined his fingers with the other’s. “What happened, ma cherie?” His voice was quiet, both to calm Alex and not to wake up Frances.

“I-I… I’m sorry.” He slid himself up from a wall. “I didn’t mean to upset you, darling. I’m just stressed. I have an article due tomorrow, and I have classes to teach. I haven’t started on either the article or my lesson plan.”

“I’ll help you. Let’s get to work.”

“Is Laf sleeping?”

“They were trying to prank us. They’re not drunk, rather they’re drinking our coffee.” John chuckled quietly. The two hurried downstairs and to the living room. 

“AAAAAAAnd I forgot my laptop at work,” Alex said when the two got downstairs.

“You can use mine,” John laughed as he handed his to the other. “I finished my lesson plans for the month, so I don’t really need to worry about anything.”

“Yeah, but you teach sixth grade World History, and I teach a high school Creative Writing  _ and _ U.S History.”

“I thought that you got your plan for CW done.”

“I did, but my USH one is going to take twice as long.” Alex sighed as he unlocked John’s computer. The two knew each other’s computer passwords in case the other forgets. He logged John out and opened his own account. With that, he also opened his requirement that he had bookmarked on the other’s computer the week before.

“So, what do you have to start with?”

“The revolution.”

“That’s going to be fun,” John laughed. They worked together through the whole night, making sure that the lessons for the next three months were perfect.

\----

Alexander stood in the teacher’s lounge, nursing his fifth cup of coffee in the past hour and literally buzzing. John walked in, and saw that Alex was almost dropping the cup.

“I thought that you were swearing off coffee,” John laughed as he grabbed the cup from Alex’s hand.

“I almost fell asleep earlier, so I needed something to keep me awake.”

“Five cups of coffee seemed like the answer, I presume?”

“How’d you know that I had five?”

“Herc was in here earlier and saw that you were on your third, and I was able to estimate how many you’d drink before my break.”

“Still, I have my Creative Writing class next.”

“Good luck.”

“I’ll need it because Washington will be there for observation.” Alex took a deep breath. “This class is going to kill me.”

“You’re going to be fine.” John brought his hand up and moved the small poof of hair that was covering his hairline. Alex’s hairline was a deep red, clearly irritated. John sighed. “What happened?”

“Jefferson called me the word again.” He sounded like a second-grader.

“I’m going to kill that idiot,” John sighs and grabs the rest of the coffee. “What time does your next class start?”

“Two minutes,” he said casually as he swirled the small amount of coffee that he had in his up around. “Wait a second!” He set his cup down on the counter and ran to his class, forgetting his class-planning binder on the table. John only sighed and followed him, laughing as he maneuvered his way through the hallway. When he arrived at the room, Alex had started his class. He was absorbed in what one of his students was saying, so he didn’t notice that John was standing in the doorway.

“Hi, Mr. Laurens,” one of the students greeted and Alex turned to him.

“You forgot your lesson binder, Ham.” John always had to stop himself from using the first-name-basis at school, so he just used the shortened version of the other’s last name. He stepped forward and set it in his hands. Looking down at his watch, he smiled. “I’d love to stay, but I have a class in five minutes.” 

With that, he hurried out of the room. Taking the stairs, he made it to the fourth floor and unlocked his room. He opened the room and set his bag down. Taking out his laptop, he got it hooked up to the projector. About three of the kids walked in five minutes early.

“Good morning, Mr. Laurens,” one of the boys said as he got his things out. “What are we going to be doing today? I have to leave soon.”

“Well, we were just going to go over the syllabus and then get the books handed out.” Suddenly, his classroom phone rang. John was in the middle of something on his computer, so the boy he was talking to earlier answered the phone.

“Mr. Lauren’s room.” The boy smiled as he spoke, but it fell only seconds into the conversation. He covered the microphone and turned to John. “You have a ‘Code Water Berry’ in Mr. Hamilton’s room. It’s urgent.” That was the code for Alex’s panic attacks.

“Ask green, yellow, red, or double red.” Green was a small attack, yellow was a medium one, and red was an ‘I-need-to-go-home-before-I-pass-out’ attack. Double red means he’s already near passing out. He asked and turned back seconds later.

“Double red.” John stood up calmly.

“You are in charge if the class shows up. I will be back.” He walked until he was out of eyeshot of the room, then started sprinting down the hall. He knew exactly where it was since there was the chatter of about twenty students who were standing in the hall.

“What’s wrong with Mr. Hamilton?” All of the kids seemed to ask this at different times. He remembered that Alex had said that if it was a double red, “tell the kids so they don’t think I’m dying.”

“Mr. Hamilton has very bad anxiety and can be thrown into an attack very easily. Can anyone tell me what happened?"

One of the girls hurried forward and began to explain. “We were talking, and Mr. Jefferson walked in. He started yelling at Mr. Hamilton, and made a comment.”

“What was the comment? Knowing Jefferson, it probably contained swears and you will not be punished for saying such words.”

She make a mock-voice of Jefferson. “Hamilton, why the hell are you teaching your class like they have all graduated from fucking Harvard? You’re no better than the fucking bastard that you always have been!”

John’s eyes widened as he rushed past. He opened the door to find that Washington was trying his best to calm Alex down. While the principal tried to do so, Alex sat with his face hidden in his hands. He walked up slowly and sat in front of him.

“Alex,” John cooed.

Alex screamed.

It wasn’t just a yelp, he screamed for about ten seconds. He was screaming incoherent words, but there was one chunk that he could make out.

“I know what I am!”

When he realized that John was in the room and giving him the most terrified look he had ever seen, he started apologizing.

“I’m so so sorry for interrupting your class. I didn’t mean for this to happen, Jefferson came in here and he-”

“One of your students explained it, Alex.” He helped the other stand. Alex also used his desk to help himself stand up. “Alex, honey, you’re freezing.” John took off the sweater, which he had stolen from Alex, and wrapped it around the other’s shoulders. Holding on to John for dear life, the two walked out of the room and to the hallway. The students began to crowd around.

“Give the man some space,” someone barked and they gave enough room. John hurried him out of the hallway and to the office. He sat Alex in one of the chairs and kneeled in front of him. Alex was covering his hairline.

“Darling, move your hand.” Alex shook his head. “Please?” He shook his head again. “If you did it again, I’m not going to be mad.” He finally moved his hands. He was missing a large chunk of hair from the front of his head. “Oh, darling.” He moved to look at the other’s hands. They were irritated and even raw in some spots. “We’re going home.”

“I have my class.”

“Laf can cover for you, they won’t have a problem with it. I can get Herc to cover for me, and things will be alright.” He smiled as he helped Alex stand up. He turned to the receptionist. “Could you please call Mr. Mulligan and Mx. Lafayette and explain that we need-”

“Already on it, Mr. Laurens. I hope Alexander feels better,” he smiled. John returned the smile and Alex leaned on him once again. The two walked out and to John’s car. He helped Alex into the car before getting in on the driver’s side and starting the car.

“I’m really sorry, John.”

“It’s nothing, Alex. You’d do the same for me.”


	2. Reunion

“How was your day, amour?” John and Alex were walking Frances home after preschool, and about a week after what is dubbed as ‘The Incident’. She had started going not long after the two started teaching.

“There’s a new kid today. He’s a first-grader.”

“Really? What’s their name,” Alex asked as he lifted her up.

“Philip! He has really fluffy hair, and eyes like you!” Alex stopped in his tracks.

“Alex…? Are you alright?” John tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He seemed to come back to reality and continued walking.

“Are you okay, Papa Alex? Are you sad?”

“No, cherie,” his voice was distant. “Papa’s not sad.” He gave her a small smile. “You know, Philip is your step-brother.”

“What?” Her voice squeaked as she yelled in surprise, while John’s was quiet.

“Yeah. Before I met your papa, I was married to a girl named Eliza. We had a little boy named Philip, but we split up when I decided to start over. She took Philip across the ocean to London, and I haven’t seen him since.”

“Alex,” John’s voice was quiet. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I just found out that he and Eliza moved here yesterday. They want me to go to court for custody.” They arrived at the building and began to walk up the stairs. John unlocked the door and Frances ran to the living room to color. Alex hurried to the kitchen and began to make coffee.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you had a son?” John’s voice was loud.

“Because I knew you’d be angry.” Alex’s voice was quiet. “I knew you’d hate me for lying about having a child that lives in a different country.”

“You can just count this as payback. I didn’t tell you about Frances, and you didn’t tell me about Philip. We’re even.”

“We’re  _ not _ even.” Alex slammed his cup down on the counter, making John flinch. “You had met your daughter when she was old enough to remember you before being separated. Phillip has met me once, and that was when he was six months old. He doesn’t remember me, and it’s all my fault for wanting to leave.” He started crying as he rambled. “I was an idiot for trying to clear Eliza’s name. I did some fucked up shit, and it ruined her. I left because I knew that it would all be centered on me, so Phillip and her could live in peace. I fucking left my child because I knew that having his name be clear was more important than being around to watch him grow.”

“Papa Alex, quit swearing! It’s bad for you,” the two heard Frances yell from the living room.

“Sorry, cherie,” he yelled back. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

“I got it,” Frances yelled and ran to the door. She opened it. “Hi Philip! Why are you here?”

“Is Alex home?” It hurt Alex’s heart to hear his son speak his name like it was some foreign language.

“Papa Alex! Philip is here!” He hurried over, wiping his eyes as he opened the door further. Frances was right when she said that he had very fluffy hair. She was also right when she said that he had Alex’s eyes. The two stood in silence for about a minute before Philip started to cry.

“Papa,” he spoke with tears in his voice as Alex kneeled down and opened his arms. “Why’d you leave, Papa?”

“It was for the best, Philip. I wish things could have been different.” He lifted the small boy up and carried him inside. As Alex held the boy, he looked over at John.

“You’re Mr. Laurens, correct,” he asked as John stepped forward to shake the boy’s outstretched hand.

“Mr. Laurens-Hamilton,” he corrected. “But yes, many address me as just Mr. Laurens. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Philip.”

“As to you.” He turned back to Alex. “So Papa, if you’re marrying Mr. Laurens, is he my papa too?”

“I guess he is.” Philip leaned towards John and hugged him. “You’re Papa number two.”

“My names are much more creative, Philip!” Frances ran in and began to tug at his leg. Alex set him down and let the two argue. They smiled as they intertwined their fingers together.

====

“Let’s play a game called ‘A School Year in Review’,” Mr. Hamilton announced to his Creative Writing class on the last day of school. “It’s basically a remake of Jeopardy. I have questions about different school news, and you have to try to answer the questions. Pretty simple.” They all nodded in response as they started the game.

“Who became the co-coaches for the school’s debate team? Extra points if you can give the swear-names that they have given to each other.”

“Mr. Alexander Hamilton and Mr. Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Hamilton is the ‘liberal chicken-fried fuck’ and Mr. Jefferson is the ‘egotistical, homophobic asshole who needs to be dropkicked to the moon’.”

The game continued in a similar manner until the very last question. Now, the school hadn’t known about John and Alex getting married, so this class was going to be the first to find out.

“Who were two of the teachers who got engaged after they ended up stealing both coffee and classroom markers from each other for the past three months?”

The room was silent.

“This is an all or nothing, and anyone can answer.”

Dead silence.

“No points will be taken off for wrong answers, but I’m sure that no one in this room knows.” Finally one kid raised their hand. Alexander called on them.

“Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Madison?”

“That’s a rumor that’s probably true but I don’t think we’ll know any time soon,” Alex laughed. “Anyone else want to guess?” They all shook their heads, so Alex walked over to the board and pulled the map up to uncover the whiteboard. The answer was written on the board.

“YOU ALL OWE ME FIFTY BUCKS EACH!” The person who yelled that was a boy named Markus. Alex had never heard him speak.

“You were betting on it?” Alex started laughing so hard that he fell off of the edge of his desk. Literally. He stood up seconds later and leaned against the front.

“It was either on Mr. Laurens or Mr. Burr,” Analiese, the one that Alex would have expected to start the bet, explained.

“Burr?” Alex made a fake gag sound. “Hell to the no. Burr and I despise each other.”

“I know that you kids would do the same for me if you were my students,” John’s voice floated in from the hall as the bell rang. The two started laughing as the students filed out their classrooms and to the front courtyard of the building.

This was crazy.


	3. Alex, You Sneaky Shit

The good news is that Philip and Frances were getting along.

The bad part was how Washington reacted.

“Let me get this straight.” He massaged his temples. “You both have kids, and you didn’t know that the other had a kid.” John started laughing as he nodded, but Alexander kept a somber expression. “How is that possible?”

“Philip was in London with his mother, and Frances was with her mother in Maryland,” Alex said quietly.

“Mr. Hamilton, might you be alright? This is the quietest that I have seen you in awhile,” Washington asked as Alex took a deep breath. John whispered something to him and Alex nodded.

“Alex wishes for me to explain. You see, he did some things that he regrets. With that, he ruined his name, and in extension, his wife’s name. He left to draw the attention away from her and Philip. As a result, this is the first time that he’s seen in his son since he was around six months old.”

“How old is he now?”

“Philip is six years old, Sir,” Alex whispered.

“Well, I wish the two of you luck in raising those two.” John and Washington stood, but Alex was running his hands through his hair. John saw that he was pulling at his hair, but trying to hide it. He kneeled in front of Alex and moved his hands out of his hair. Alex quickly grabbed an elastic and pulled his hair back. “John, may I be able to speak with you for a moment?” He nodded as he helped Alex stand up, and they both shook Washington’s hand before turning and walking out of the room. The other sat in one of the chairs as John returned to the room.

“What might you need, Mr. Washington?”

“The hair thing that Alex does…”

“That is something that he does when he becomes stressed. I’m working with it. That’s the reason that I ‘randomly’ check his hairline in the teacher’s room. If it is red, I have him talk about it.”

“Does he ever pull his hair out?”

“Constantly. It’s always a bit frightening, but as I said, I’m working with it.” John gave him a nervous smile. “Might you need anything else? We have to go and pick Philip and Frances from school.”

“That was all, Mr. Laurens. Please make sure to remind Mr. Hamilton of his Creative Writing class over the summer for some of the students.”

“I will, Sir. Have a great summer.”

“As to you.” With that, John walked out of the office and saw that Alex had fallen asleep. John only chuckled and spent the next five minutes getting Alex onto his back. He walked towards the door, Aaron Burr heading for the same door.

“Did he have another attack,” Burr asked.

“Why are you wondering?”

“Just don’t want him getting hurt. I hate the man, but wouldn’t wish harm to him. That’s just horrible.”

“We were just talking about Philip with Washington.”

“Who?”

“Philip, Alex’s son.” He smiled. “Now, could you please get the door? I have to go and pick up Frances and Philip.” He used one arm and opened the door. John nodded a thanks to him before walking through the door.

And Burr swears to God that he saw Alexander wink at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Philip has been hiding something and John ends up finding out.


	4. A Man That Never Stops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skip about four years ahead and Philip is becoming more and more distant. What is he hiding?

Philip was becoming distant, and this worried his fathers.

He spent so much time in his room, and it was becoming worrying. Well, he was spending more time in his room than a ten-year-old should. It was silly of them to worry, but the two did nonetheless.

Philip still refused to tell them why he was like this, or much of anything for that matter. He was still trying to work on trusting them.

It was storming out one day in the usually bright summer, and Alex wasn’t going to be kept from teaching his class because of it. John stayed home with Frances and Philip, and was perfectly content with doing so. He had decided to get some housework done in the process while he thought that the two were still asleep. He cleaned the kitchen and got the dishes done while he waited for the laundry to be done.

When it was done and folded, John began to make his runs to the different rooms. He first stopped at Frances’ room where she was still sleeping. He set the laundry down and continued on his way. Next was his and Alex’s room, where he put everything away before continuing. When he got to Philip’s room, however, he heard music. He knocked on the door, but got no response. He saw that the door was cracked open, so he just tapped it and let it swing.

What he saw amazed him.

Philip was dancing around his room in a _beautiful_ blue dress and matching hairbow. John just stared at him as he stopped in his tracks. The two just stared at each other as the song ended. He hurried to pause the music player as John stood in silence.

“Pleasedon’tbemad,” Philip said quickly as he looked down at the floor.

“The only thing that I’m mad about is that you didn’t tell me that you owned such a beautiful dress.” John began laughing. “Did you think we’d be mad?”

“Well,” he paused. “Yeah, I guess.” John laughed again.

“We’d never be mad because of this. Now, your father is going to be home any minute-” The door downstairs clicked open. John held out his hand. “Let’s go say hi.”

“Won’t he be mad?”

“Have you met Lafayette?” Philip shook his head. “Well, I’ll have to take you to see him today.” Philip extended his arms to be lifted and John obliged. It was a habit of his, being carried when he was nervous. “Do you want to play a trick on your papa?” He started laughing as he nodded.

“John? Are you home,” Alex yelled from downstairs.

“I am _so_ angry with our son right now,” he yelled in fake anger, but it sounded _so real_ . He turned and winked at Philip, showing that it was a joke. He then stomped down the stairs and to the kitchen where Alex stood. “I am _furious_ that he didn’t tell us about the beautiful dress that he has.” Philip wiggled his way out of John’s arms, standing in front of his father.

“Laf is going to be, and excuse my language, _fucking jealous_ of that dress,” Alex smiled, and so did Philip. The man lifted his son onto the counter and he sat with his ankles crossed as they dangled from the tall ledge. “Well, my class only had a half day today, so we’re going to see Lafayette!” Alex lifted his son once again and began to carry him to the door.

“Papa! I need my shoes!” Alex lightly dropped him and he ran up the stairs.

“I am going to wake Frances from her nap.” John followed the small boy up the stairs. He walked into the girl’s room and saw that she was already dressed.

“So Philly finally told you guys,” she laughed. “About time.”

“How long have you known?”

“Since he started staying here permanently.”

“You’ve known about this since you were _three?_ ”

“I didn’t understand when they told me, but after explaining, it made a bit more sense.” She walked out of her room and down the stairs. John followed her, grabbing a sweater for her as they walked down the stairs.

“That was quick,” Alex smiled as John handed her the sweater. The other three got their shoes on as Philip ran down the stairs.

“Let’s go see Laffy,” Frances yelled as she ran out the door. They all followed her down the street, laughing as she skipped. Philip turned his head towards the street and saw that there was five of his classmates walking towards him. His face went red as he looked down. Alex stalled for a second and listened.

“Hey little fag.”

“Shut up,” Philip snapped and started to walk, but was stopped.

“Have a problem,” Alex walked over and asked.

“Hi there, Mr. Hamilton.” He recognized the leading boy as one of his students, Ross. “I didn’t know that you lived around here. This is a pleasant surprise.”

“Yes, it is. Nonetheless, you have not answered my question. Do you have a problem with my child?” The kid got nervous.

“What would your wife say about your son dressing like that?”

“My dad’s married to your Science teacher, Mr. Laurens, so _suck it_ ,” Philip cut in. He skipped away to go and stand by John as Alex smiled.

“I will see you in Creative Writing tomorrow, Ross.” With that, he walked away. He hurried to catch up with John and they all continued their walk. Only seconds later, they were at the door of Lafayette and Hercules’ house. Lafayette answered the door.

“Laffy,” Frances yelled as Philip hid behind Alex.

“Quite the pleasant surprise,” Lafayette smiled. He saw the sides of Philip’s dress around Alex’s legs. “And who might that be?” Philip stepped out.

“Philip Hamilton.” He smiled, but still didn’t make any eye contact. He held his hand out shake.

“Wonderful to meet you, little Philip.” He smiled as Philip pouted. “Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette. Just call me Lafayette or Laf.”

“Wonderful to meet you as well, Mr. Lafayette.” Laf started to… well… laugh.

“Laf’s non-binary, so use they and them,” Hercules yelled from the kitchen. “Just a heads-up.”

“I’m so sorry,” Philip’s face went red as he looked at his shoes. “I didn’t mean to-"

“It’s fine, most don’t really know about it at first glance.” Lafayette finally noticed the dress. He ushered them all in and shut the door. “Philip, where did you get that dress? It’s adorable!”

“A good friend of mine gave it to me. I don’t know where she got it.” He smiled again.

“The color suits you well, little one.”

Hercules walked in with an apron tied around his waist and his hair looked as if it had been _dipped_ in flour. Philip was in awe of this man. (He was just so… _tall_.)

“So you’re little Philip, huh?” Herc kneeled down, now at eye level with the boy. “I’m Hercules.”

Philip’s face brightened. “You mean like the Di-”

“Yes, like the Disney character.” Philip started laughing, and this made Alex smile. His son’s laugh was like bubbles, another thing that people say the child inherited from his father.

“So what brings you here on such a gloomy day,” Laf asked as he sat on the counter.

“I had some questions,” Philip said quietly. Laf leaned down slightly and helped the boy onto the table. He spoke quietly as he leaned over to Lafayette. “I have some questions about things like gender identity.”

“Well you’ve come to the right person,” Lafayette said loudly. “What do you want to know?”

“Let’s say someone doesn’t really feel like a boy, or a girl, or something inbetween. Let’s say they lean towards one or the other of the binaries. Is there a name for that?”

“Well, with that,” he paused for a second to think. “You would use the prefix demi- and then use one or the other binary.” He smiled. “For example, do you feel like you lean towards more of the feminine or masculine side of identification?”

“Feminine,” Philip said quietly.

“Then you would use the term ‘demigirl’. If you felt more masculine, you would use the term ‘demiboy’.” Lafayette began to chuckle as Philip wrapped the other in a hug. Their chuckling stopped abruptly when they felt tears soaking into their shirt.

“ _Quel est le problème, petit,_ ” they asked, worried. Anyone could tell when Laf was worried since they reverted to French when they felt like that.

“ _Pourquoi êtes-vous si gentil avec moi?_ ” Philip kept mumbling things of that sort, and in French, into Laf’s chest. They weren’t able to make out most of what the child said, but there was one thing that he said that caused Lafayette to turn to Hercules. “ _Où est papa?_ ”

“Get Alex over here,” Laf mouthed to Herc and he leaned out into the living room.

“Hey, _l'homme qui ne cesse jamais_ , come and get your kid,” he said quietly as Alex stood. Laf had been trying to teach him French for years now, but the only thing that stuck was the nickname that the French native had given Alex when they were in college. He walked over to the two and picked Philip up. He walked to the couch and sat with the child in his lap, singing as he rocked Philip.

“ _Hush a bye,_

_Don’t you cry_

_Go to sleep my little baby_

_When you wake, you shall have_

_All the pretty little horses._ ”

John harmonized with him as he leaned on Alex’s shoulder.

“ _Dapple and greys_

_Pintos and bays_

_All the pretty little horses.”_

Alex’s voice faded out as John sang the next part.

_“Way down yonder in the meadow,_

_Poor little baby, crying mama_

_Birds and the butterflies flutter round his eyes._

_Poor little baby crying mama._ ”

They harmonized again as Alex’s voice flowed smoothly with John’s.

“ _Hush a bye_

_Don’t you cry,_

_Go to sleep my little baby._

_When you wake,_

_You shall have,_

_All the pretty little horses._ ”

By this point, Philip was calm and leaning on Alex. Laf smiled at him as he used one of his gestures. He was asking for his notebook, so they hurried and grabbed it and a pen. Alex sat and wrote his ideas in his book with a soft smile on his face as Philip watched in awe.

Herc smiled as he threw an arm around Lafayette’s shoulders. “Truly a man that never stops.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> French Translations:
> 
> Quel est le problème, petit? - What is the problem, child?  
> Pourquoi êtes-vous si gentil avec moi? - Why are you so nice to me?  
> Où est papa? - Where is papa?  
> l'homme qui ne cesse jamais - man who never ceases


	5. Do Not Question Me On Someone Else's Problems

John Laurens sat in the office of Principal Washington, answering questions that he shouldn’t.

“John, I have called you here to address some… problems.”

“What might they be, sir?”

“It is involving actions that Mr. Alexander Hamilton does. I have decided to attempt to have them on record in case of any incidents involving the School Board.”

“Very well.” He didn’t want to be the one to answer the questions. “But why not ask him? He will know more than I will.”

“I do not wish to cause anything, ranging from discomfort of my trust to an attack. I felt like asking you would be a better source."

“Go on.”

“Could you list any that you are aware of?”

“He has a condition called  Trichotillomania, which is where he pulls at his hair. It is often triggered by his anxiety.” John took a deep breath when he realized that Washington was writing down what he was saying. “His anxiety is something that is also very bad, and is usually triggered by certain words and topics. For example, the attack that he had in the first year of him working here, that was caused by a name that Mr. Jefferson called him.”

“That sounds very chi-”

“Yes, it sounds childish, but it is involving a point in time where he lost almost every piece of family that he had.”

“Could you elaborate?”

“Alexander was born on the island of Nevis. When his mother had become pregnant with him, she was not married to the man who is his biological father. This is often referred to as an illegitimate child, or,” he stumbled. “It is also referred to as a ‘bastard’ child. That was the name that Jefferson called him, causing him to remember these things and what people had done to him as a child. This triggered him into an attack.”

“Might you know what people had done to him?”

“He refuses to tell me, sir. I was surprised that he was able to tell me that much.”

“Very well.” He finished writing what John had said. “Might there be anything that you would like to add?”

“There will be a student from the college accompanying him throughout the year, as he is having trouble with his mute days again.”

“Mute days?”

“He has times where he is unable to speak. His brain just isn’t able to form words, so he tend to use gestures. It is similar to ASL, but is very different at the same time.”

“Will this affect his teaching?”

“Not that I am sure of. He hasn’t been getting many, but they are becoming a bit more frequent.” John kept a straight face as Washington smiled. “I would prefer that this all stays confidential unless absolutely necessary.”

“That is what I intended, John.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“John,” Washington leaned and put a hand on John’s shoulder. “I am only doing this because I was worried about Alexander, I hope that you understand that.”

“I do, sir.” He stood. “I must go so that Alex will be able to get here on time. I can’t believe that classes start in a week.”

“Neither can I. See you soon.”

“As to you.” With that, he left and hurried back to their apartment. Unlocking the door, he ran up the stairs and to their dor. When he got inside, he locked the door and smiled as he saw Alex and the two children asleep on the couch. Frances had her head on his chest and was curled to his side, and Philip was leaning on his shoulder and clinging to his side.

Walking over, he smiled. “Alex,” John cooed. “You have to get up.”

“No~,” he complained.

“Your Creative Writing class in is ten minutes.” His eyes shot open and he probably would have jumped up if he hadn’t realized that he had two children laying on him. He carefully moved them before smiling and hugging John. “Well, good morning.”

“Where’d you go?”

“Washington wanted to talk to me.” Alex let go.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, he just had a few questions about things before the school year started.” John fluffed his hair, which was a tangled mess. “You should probably go and fix your hair before it knots too tightly.” Alex only fluffed the other’s hair in response before hurrying to the bathroom. He suddenly heard singing.

“ _ Hush a bye, don’t you cry. _ ” John just smiled as he listened to the the other sing.

“ _ All the pretty little horses _ ,” John harmonized with him on the last notes as their voices faded out in unison.


	6. John Adams is a bit of a dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Adams shouldn't be a school principle. Well, he shouldn't be one for a public school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I use Jack for John when they are talking to John Adams, just to clear confusion.
> 
> *I bumped up Philip's age for the next few chapters to make sense.

A week later, school had started. With Philip being in ninth grade and Frances being in sixth grade, no one really had to stay at the house during the school hours.

“Are you ready for this, Alex,” John asked when the two stood outside of Liberty Middle and High School. Alex only nodded, clutching his laptop bag tighter. The two walked in, then parted ways with a small hug and a light kiss. John hurried to his classroom, and Alex hurried to the teacher’s lounge to grab some coffee.

And the first person in there was Thomas Jefferson himself.

Hamilton just stayed silent and went to grab coffee from the machine. Before he could grab it, Jefferson grabbed his wrist.

“You know,” Jefferson sneered. “My son and his friends ran into you last week.”

“What’s it to you, Thomas,” Alex spat in response.

“He told me a bit ‘bout your son.”

“My _child_ ,” he corrected. “Philip uses they and them. Respect them or I’ll make you.” Jefferson, all the used to these outbursts, just held onto Alex’s wrists tighter.

“He said that your son was wearing a dress.”

“And your point is? It’s their body, and I’m not going to make them wear something that they aren’t comfortable in.”

“Philip is in the ninth grade, _he_ is too young to make that decision for himself.”

“ _Gentlemen_.”

Alexander turned to look at Washington, his wrist still in Jefferson’s grip.

“Thomas, let him go.” Jefferson dropped his wrist. “Alexander, you have a phone call in the office.” The man hurried off, leaving his travel mug in the lounge as he arrived in the office.

“It’s not pretty, Mr. Hamilton. They’re crying.” The high-schooler working at the front desk handed him the phone.

“Hello?”

“Papa!” It was Philip.

“What’s going on, Philip?”

“They’re sending me home. I’m being suspended for a week.”

“I’m gonna call Papa Jack in here, okay?” Philip made a sound of approval and Alex covered the receiver. “Please privately page Mr. Laurens. Code Double Bust.”

“I really wasn’t trying to, Papa.” Alex put the phone on speaker as John burst into the room. “I didn’t even do anything!”

“What happened,” John asked.

“W-Well,” Philip stuttered. They were crying. “I walked into class, wearing my new skirt and dress shirt. I sat down and got all of my things ready for class, then the teacher sent me to the office. Mr. Adams says I’m suspended for a week.”

“I’m going down there,” Alex said as he stood up.

“I’ll go with you. He’ll probably want the both of us there, plus, you’ll probably kill Adams.” Alex looked at the receptionist.

“Already on it, Mr. Hamilton. Go get them back in school,” they smiled and Alex returned said smile. The two hurried out of the building.

====

“This behavior is against many people’s religion.”

“Philip should be allowed to dress as they wish. There is nothing in the dress code about people of the male sex wearing predominately female clothing.” Alex was about ready to blow up on him. This dude was just an ignorant bigot.

“Nonetheless-”

“It you make a comment about religion, I am going to start yelling,” Alex growled and the man shut up.

“Alexander does not mean that comment, as he knows what will happen if he does,” Jack glared at Alex.

“And _you_ ,” John Adams glared at Jack, clearly changing the subject. “What relation do _you_ have to Philip?”

“Sir,” Jack laughed. “I am listed as Philip’s father, as well as Alexander, so I am sure that you can piece it all together.” He smiled as John pieced the two bits together. “This is also the same for Philip’s sister, Frances, where I am listed as her primary guardian, and Alexander is listed as the secondary.”

“Get out of my office.” Hamilton was about to start yelling, but John dragged him out before he could start. When the door closed, they looked around at the chairs to find Philip.

They weren’t there.


	7. Dating, Suspension, and Drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW THAT THIS ONE IS REALLY SHORT AND I AM VERY SORRY.

Alex took out his phone and called Philip. A phone rang from a backpack that was on the chair, and Alex hurried over to it. It was their backpack, and there was a note on it. It was written quickly and with a really bad pen.

“I’ll be back. I promise. Don’t be scared,” Alex read the note out loud. “I will be back in an hour’s time, and there is no need to worry about me.” Alex looked up at John as his phone began to ring. Alex quickly picked it up.

“Alexander, is everything alright?” It was Washington. The two began to walk out of the school, with Philip’s backpack, and he didn’t answer until they were out of the building.

“Am I allowed to kill Principle John Adams?” Washington started laughing. “Sir, he suspended Philip for wearing a skirt.” His laughing stopped. “Nonetheless, we will be back within the next two hours.” Alexander hung up.

“Now, where could Philip be,” John asked.

“We have to check the parks, our apartment, and their mother’s apartment.” They hurried out to their car and started driving.

====

Philip wasn’t at home, and they weren’t at any of the parks.

“I’ll go in, Alexander. Better me than you.” John knocked on the door of Ms. Eliza Schuyler, and a woman opened the door.

“Who might you be?”

“John Laurens-Hamilton.” He held his hand out to shake and the woman returned the gesture. “I was wondering if Philip has come by here. They were suspended, and a bit upset about it.”

“Yes, Philip is here.” She turned. “Philip, dear, your papa is here!” Philip hurried to the door.

“I’m so sorry for running off, Papa! I wasn’t trying to sca-”

“Alex did the same thing in college, dear. It’s nothing new to me.” John held his arms out and Philip hugged him. “Although, the same can’t be said for Papa Alex. He’s pretty scared. Still, he’s not mad. Just scared.” John lifted them. 

“Wait! I just remembered! Mama’s gonna start teaching at the school tomorrow!” John turned his gaze to the woman.

“I am the new choir conductor and Music Theory teacher.”

“Well, Ms. Schuyler, it was wonderful to meet you.”

“As to you, John.” Philip blew a kiss at her before they walked back into the hallway. Alex hurried forward and hugged the two of them.

“Philip, please never do that again,” Alex whispered. Philip moved their grip from John to Alex, so the other lifted them into his arms. Philip nodded as they all began to go down the hall. Alex turned his head to John. “Well, you have morning classes, and I have afternoon. I can watch Philip until my classes are coming up, and we can switch.” 

John nodded as Alex laughed, “and you have ten minutes, so I suggest that you get going.” Alex threw him the keys. John pressed a kiss on Philip’s forehead and on Alex’s cheek before hurrying out to the car.

====

“Papa?” Alex was making lunch for him, waiting for John to return. “Can I talk to you?”

“What’s wrong?”

“What if I told you… What if I told you that I was dating someone?” Alex dropped the spoon he was holding onto the counter. “I-I-I’ve been meaning to tell you about this, but-”

“Who is it?”

“Umm… Mr. Madison’s son…?”


	8. Talking About Big News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I JUST CAME UP WITH A RANDOM NAME FOR THE SON BC FUCK BEING HISTORICALLY ACCURATE!

Philip buried their face in their hands.

“How long?” Alex didn’t seem phased as he picked up his spoon and continued to stir the noodles. He carried the pot over to the strainer and dumped them into it.

“Almost three months.”

“Well,” Alex chuckled. “As long as you’re happy and he doesn’t hurt you, I’m okay with it.” Alex smiled as Philip’s face lit up. They leaned and gave their father the biggest hug that they could. Just as Alex was getting the lunch plated, John unlocked the door and walked in.

“Alex, you have twenty minutes till your class starts so you’d better hurry,” John yelled as Alex gave Philip a kiss on the head. He hurried to the door where John stood. He gave John a kiss on the cheek and a quick ‘I love you’ before sprinting out the door. 

John stood in the kitchen as Philip ate.

“What did you tell him? He seemed a bit high-strung.” John smiled as the child chuckled.

“Well,” Philip began to fiddle with the noodles on their plate. “I…” They stopped as John kept smiling. “I’m dating James Madison’s son.” John kept smiling.

“How did Alex react to that?”

“He was actually really calm about it. It was unusual.”

“Well, he doesn’t  _ entirely _ despise Madison. That makes sense.” John leaned forward on the counter. “How long has it been?”

“About three months.” John just nodded. “Are you mad at me?”

“Philip, you are being raised by probably two of the gayest teachers in the district. We aren’t mad.” Philip started laughing. John grabbed a cup of coffee and took a drink from it.

“You might have to beat Xander’s dad and Jefferson for that award.” John nearly spit his coffee out. He started coughing.

“What?”

“Madison and Jefferson…? They’ve been dating for months now, and Mr. Madison plans to propose. His plan is actually really cute.” John kept coughing. “What’s wrong?”

“Jefferson was such a homophobe, I would have never expected that.” He punctuated his sentence with a string of coughing. “Like, you should have seen him when he found out that your papa and I were getting married. The man was furious.”

“He was scared. I remember him when I first got to know Xander, and it pretty much scared him. Although he was out of his family home and well-off on his own, he was still scared how his family would react. His family is politically active, so he was scared that this would mess something up. I even remember one time when I spent the night at their house, some newscaster knocked on the door. He just closed the door on them and went on like nothing happened.” John nodded thoughtfully. This was all new to him, and it was good to know.

\----

The two were waiting for Alex to come home when Philip’s phone buzzed. They lifted it to see who it was, and smiled instantly. They unlocked the phone, looking up at John.

“Might we be able to go over to Xander’s house? He’s ready to break this to his dad.” They looked back down at their phone as they typed and sent their response.

“Are  _ you _ ready?” John’s smile fell. “This is really big for the both of you, and you need to both be ready for this.”

“I’m ready, Papa. I’ve got this.” John’s smile returned to his face at hearing this response.

“You are definitely your father’s biological son,” John laughed. “You want some tea?” Philip nodded.

“Lemon-blueberry, please.” John turned from his spot at the counter and started to grab the tea bags and mugs. Philip smiled down at their phone again.

**_[MadiXa]:_ ** **{3:05 PM}** Are you ready to tell my dads? They’re going to be pretty surprised at this, but I think they’ve had a feeling of it for a while.

**_[KidOfANon-StopMan]:_ ** **{3:06 PM}** I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be, XM.

**_[MadiXa]:_ ** **{3:06 PM}** Are you sure? I don’t want to do this if you aren’t ready.

**_[KidOfANon-StopMan]:_ ** **{3:06 PM}** I’m ready, I promise. My dads are coming too.

**_[MadiXa]:_ ** **{3:06 PM}** Good. Twenty dollars says that Alex and Thomas start yelling at each other.

“How much do you want to bet that Papa and Jefferson start screaming at each other?” John smiled.

“I’m in fifteen.”

**_[KidOfANon-StopMan]:_ ** **{3:08 PM}** Deal. John’s in fifteen on it too.

**_[MadiXa]:_ ** **{3:08 PM}** Dad’s in thirty.

**_[KidOfANon-StopMan]:_ ** **{3:08 PM}** Oh god, this is horrible. Our dads are going to kill each other.

**_[MadiXa]:_ ** **{3:10 PM}** SHIT.

**_[KidOfANon-StopMan]:_ ** **{3:10 PM}** WHAT?

**_[MadiXa]:_ ** **{3:10 PM}** TJEFF KNOWS.

**_[KidOfANon-StopMan]:_ ** **{3:10 PM}** SHIT.

“Jefferson knows about the bet.”

“I’m still in fifteen.”

**_[KidOfANon-StopMan]:_ ** **{3:10 PM}** JOHN SAYS HE’S STILL IN FIFTEEN.

**_[MadiXa]:_ ** **{3:10 PM}** DAD’S STILL IN THIRTY.

“We’re all still in on the bet.” Philip nearly fell off of their chair laughing. “I’m in in twenty, so is Xander. You’re in fifteen, and Xander’s dad is in thirty.” John put a mug of tea in front of the child. It was warm, but not scalding. Just how they liked it. They took a sip as they turned their phone to John to let him read the conversation. 

He nearly spit out his coffee from laughing so hard.


	9. Talking

Philip turned his phone off as he got about halfway through his mug of tea. Alex burst through the door with Frances behind him. Frances sat next to her sibling and started on her homework as Alex flew into the kitchen and grabbed a mug. He filled the mug with water, realizing that he didn’t want coffee. He drank the water as John smiled at him.

“Papa, can we go to Xander’s house? We want to tell his dads.”

“Sure.” Alex turned his attention to Frances. “Want to come with, Frances?”

“I’m going to get a headstart on my homework, so I’ll stay home.” She didn’t look up from the paper she was writing on.

“Alright, just text us if anything happens.”

 

\----

 

Philip was about ready to explode by the time that they arrived. John knocked on the door, and James opened the door.

“Laurens, Hamilton, Philip, what brings you here?”

“Xander and I want to talk to you and Mr. Jefferson, if that is okay. I just felt like I should bring my parents as well.”

“Come in.” He stepped aside and let the three in. Xander stood up from his spot on the couch and flashed a smile at Philip. They returned the smile as their heart melted. Alex and John sat on the smaller of the couches as the two stood in front of the two sets of parents. Xander cleared his throat.

“Dad, Mr. Jefferson, we wanted to address something that we have been meaning to for a long time now. We decided that now was the best time to do so.” Xander moved closer to Philip, holding the other’s hand and intertwining their fingers together.

“Surprise,” the two quietly said in unison.

 

====

 

James and Thomas sat in shock, but Alex and John were smiling.

“How long has this been going on?”

“For almost three months now.” Xander’s smile fell. “I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything sooner.”

Jefferson turned to Alex and John. “Did you two know about this?”

“Philip told us about an hour ago,” John said. “They seemed pretty nervous about it.”

“Xander, why would you hide something like this from us?”

“I hid it beca-”

“He hid it because of me. I asked him not to say anything to you, and I wouldn’t say anything to my parents. We were both scared of how you would all react, so we only told a few of our friends.” A small smile grew on their face. “I was scared of the reactions of those around us, but Xander wasn’t. Nonetheless, he said that he wouldn’t say anything until we were both ready to do it.” Philip took in a deep breath as Jefferson nodded. James turned his head to the other.

“As long as you guys are happy, we’re happy,” James said as a smile spread onto Xander’s face. “Thomas and Alex are going to have to compromise.”

“I’m willing to for my child,” Alex replied quickly.

“And I for my son.”


	10. It Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to shit right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR MY ABSENCE. I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A NOVELETTE, SO WRITING FOR THIS AND MY OTHER ONE HAS KIND OF BEEN PUT ON THE BACK BURNER.
> 
> FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR IF YOU WANT @ the-flaming-creampuff
> 
> TW: DEROGATORY NAMES, MILD MISGENDERING, AND HATE SPEECH

“Do I  _ have _ to go to this speech?” 

Philip did  _ not _ want to go and listen to George Eacker address the student council about not letting same-gender couples into school dances or school events. He was talking with the council president, Principal Washington.

“Mx. Hamilton, I know that you are uncomfortable with the subject, but it is required for all members to attend.”

“With all due respect, I just  _ know _ that Eacker is going to our my partner and I in his argument. For the safety and security of both him and I, I would wish not to attend.”

“If he does so, I will stop him. Nonetheless, we need both you and your partner there for the vote.” Principal Washington just sighed. “Believe me, Mx. Hamilton, I do not wish for him to talk about such a subject. It was not my decision to let him speak, rather it was the District Administration’s decision.”

“What does the District Board have to do with this? They’re not the ones that have to deal with it.”

“Believe me, Philip. If I had a say, I would not allow him to speak. Now, the event starts in five minutes. I would suggest that you get there so your fellow peers do not become angry with you.” Philip just huffed before nodding and walking out of the office. “Thank you for letting me speak with you, Mr. Washington.”

“Any time, Philip.”

\----

George Eacker was just spewing bullshit the entire time. There was only one consistency through his entire speech; a person’s religious beliefs. Specifically, his religious beliefs.

“We want all students to be comfortable, do we not? To most, having  _ queers _ together at school events creates an uncomfortable environment.” Philip heard Xander let in a sharp breath as he straightened his back. They grabbed his hand and squeezed it. His shoulders relaxed. “While we’re on the topic of them, let’s talk about the example that I have in mind.” He stopped for a second, and the world seemed to stop moving. “Is Philip Hamilton here?” They stood quietly.

“You don’t have to do this,” Xander whispered to them. They ignored it.

“Mr. Hamilton-”

“Mx. Hamilton, Eacker,” Philip snapped. “I may have a masculine name, but I am not male.”

“You were born male, therefore you are male. I will address you as such.” Philip just stayed silent. “Nonetheless, that gives me my first example. What gender are you again, Philip?”

“I am a demigirl, meaning that I am female, but not entirely. I am partially in the non-identifying area of gender, and partially female.” Philip was able to keep their voice steady as they spoke. “Why might you be targeting me specifically. You are well aware that there are more members of the LGBT+ community in this room, so why not address them?”

“You are the only second-generation faggot in this room, so addressing you would create the best example.”

“Ex _cuse_ _me_ ,” Philip snapped. “You have no right to use that word. No one does.”

“It’s funny because you’re a second-generation faggot from  _ both _ sides of your family. Your mother is dating a pimp’s ex-wife, and your father is dating one of the other teachers.” Philip tried to lunge forward, but Xander grabbed their wrist. They stumbled for a second before regaining their balance. “Oh isn’t that adorable? The two lo-"

“ _ That’s enough, Eacker _ .” Mr. Washington’s voice boomed in the almost dead-silent room. “First, you come in here and  _ completely disregard _ our rules with allowing same-gender couples into school functions. Then, you call out a completely innocent student with hate speech to extend your own agenda. Your father may be the District Council president, but that does not mean that you can come in here and spew hate. It is even worse that you spew hate directed at my grandchild.” The room was filled with a tense silence.

“How are you the grandfather of a Creole bastard’s son?” That’s what made Philip snap. They got their wrist out of Xander’s grip and lunged on him. Philip threw a punch and it hit him in the gut.

“Say what you want about me, but  _ don’t _ bring my family into this. Got it?” He just laughed and brought the microphone up to his mouth.

“I will say whatever I want about your family. That even extends to your boyfriend, Xander. How long has it been now, four months?” Philip was about to punch him again when they felt a hand on their shoulder. It was Washington.

“The meeting is adjourned. We will return on Friday. Good day to you all.” The room erupted with murmurs as people got up to leave.

“The old warehouse, next week, six in the evening. Re-worked Revolutionary Style. Bring a second,” Philip snapped as Xander lead him out of the room before anything more could happen.

_ What had they just done? _


	11. I May Not Live To See Our Glory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week later, shit goes down.

Alex and Burr ran into each other days after Eacker’s speech. “Your kid is engaging in a duel at Weehawken,” Burr said somberly. That was the codename for one of the old warehouse buildings in the Jersey District.

“What? Where’d you hear that?” Alex was scared. 

“They’ve got the whole street talking, thank Theodosia for warning me. Now I’m warning you. You’ve got the facts, Alexander. What’cha gonna do?”

“Guns or fists?”

“From what Theo told me, fists. But, then again, it’s George Eacker. You never know what he’d do to a kid like Philip.” Burr put his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Either save them or encourage them, it’s up to you.” With that, Burr walked away and left Alex in shock. Alex pulled his phone out and called John.

“Hey, what’s up.” John’s voice sounded exhausted.

“Philip’s going to be in a fight with Eacker.” Alex took a deep breath. “Aaron told me because Theodosia told him because  _ apparently _ Philip told her.” He hurried down the street, opening the front door of his apartment complex and sprinting up the stairs. “I’ll be back up in a moment.” he unlocked his door and quickly shut it behind him. Philip was sitting on the couch, fiddling with their hands.

“Hi Papa,” they smiled.

“Why are you fighting Eacker?” Alex walked forward.

“Who told you?” Philip stood up, scared. “Who told you about the duel?”

“It was Burr. Theodosia told him, and he told me.” Philip took a deep breath. “How did this happen?”

“It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. He made a speech, said some things about you, John, Mama, and Maria. He also outed me and Xander to the entire student council and I got mad at him. I ended up challenging him, and that’s that.” They broke eye contact with Alex. “I was just defending our family. He didn’t have the right to say those things, and I challenged his comments. I sort-of just blurted, then went along with it. He wouldn’t apologize, and now I’m fighting him.”

“When?”

“About an hour from now…?” They opened their phone. “Yeah, an hour from now.” They took in a deep breath. “I’m scared. I’ve never fought anyone before.”

And that was how John and Alex spent the next forty-five minutes showing Philip how to fight.

\----

They arrived at the building, scared out of their wits.

“My name is Philip, I am a poet, and I’m a little nervous but I can’t show it. I’m a Ha-” They were cut off by Theodosia running up to them. She grabbed their cheeks.

“Eacker always hits on seven. Be prepared.” With that, she ran off. They hurried into the building.

“Mr. Eacker,” Philip tried to sound cheerful. “How was the rest of your show?”

“I’d rather skip the pleasantries,” he sneered.

“Let’s go,” they barked in unison.

“The duel will commence  **_after_ ** we count to ten!” That was Eacker’s second. It was someone that Philip didn’t recognize. Philip’s second was Xander, and he was clearly scared.

“ _ I love you _ ,” Xander mouthed to him. Philip smiled and returned their gaze to Eacker.

“One!” The two got into their stance.

“Two!” Philip’s heart began to race as a fire burned in their eyes.  _ Just like their father. _

“Three!” Four more paces, prepare for the hit.

“Four!” Eacker smiled a sick smile. He was going to enjoy this.

“Five!” Philip took in a deep breath. Where should they hit?

“Six!” One more pace. They decided to go for the face, right after they dodged his hit.

“Seven!” Eacker stayed still.  _ Theo said that he’d hit on seven! _

“Eight!” Philip got ready to go in for the first hit.

“Nine!” The world went black.

Philip didn’t hear the last number, as he was already on the ground and bleeding from the temple profusely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't even the start of the suffering. ;)
> 
> Also, notice my obvious paraphrasing from the Hamilton Workshop?
> 
> I have also been listening to Taking Off on repeat for the past hour. And I'm still not tired of it.


	12. Stay Alive

Eacker wasn’t supposed to wear rings. Though, it makes sense that he would break the rules. Eacker kept throwing punches as Xander and Eacker’s second attempted to pull him off of the other. Philip’s nose was clearly broken, there was clearly some damage to his skull, and he began to shake and twitch.

Xander didn’t know what to do.

Xander became scared as Eacker backed off. The other ran off, his second following not long after. Xander did everything that he knew he was supposed to do. He didn’t know that he should have called for an ambulance. The shaking eventually stopped.

 

\----

 

Xander called Alex. He was scared, crying as they phone rang. It felt like hours until the other picked up his phone.

“Xander?”

“Eacker cheated! He fucking cheated and Philip is unconscious. They’re bleeding from the side of their head and I think their nose is broken. He hit on nine, and-and kept hitting. I think that Philip just had a seizure, but it has stopped. They’re still unconscious. I think there’s some damage to their skull. Eacker kept bashing their head on the cement of the floor.”

“I’m already on my way, and I’m calling 911.” With that, Alex hung up and Xander was let to worry about his partner.

_ What if they died? What if they didn’t remember anything? What would happen then? He would have to start over; recreate his relationship with Philip. It took so long for Philip to open up, but he’d be able to wait for it. _

The EMTs showed up and wrapped Xander in a shock blanket as they carried Philip away. It was when he heard the crinkling of the foil on his hands that he came back to his senses.

“Son, can you tell me what happened?”

“Philip Hamilton, age fifteen, demigirl with they or them pronouns. They challenged George Eacker to a duel-Reworked Revolutionary style-after he said some things about Philip’s dads in a horribly-written speech in front of the whole school. Eacker hit on nine. He wore rings. It broke Philip’s nose, and there was damage to their skull. Eacker bashed their head on the cement a few times. They had, what I think was, a seizure. I did what I could. I called one of Philip’s dads, Alexander Hamilton-Laurens, and he called you guys.” Xander spoke in one big word-blurb. The EMT just nodded.

“What is your name?”

“Xander Madison.”

“Well, Xander, we’re going to take you to the hospital with Philip, okay? They’ll be okay in our hands, okay?” Xander nodded. “Do you want to walk or have me lift you?” He only looked down, and the EMT knew what to do. He lifted the boy and put him in the back seat of the car as the other EMT got in the driver’s seat. “Philip will be okay. We’ll get them all patched up.”

“Their skull is cracked. I heard it happen.” Xander’s voice was somber and shaky. “Their nose is broken, their left temple is bleeding because of rings that Eacker was wearing. Eacker just kept hitting, even after Philip was unconscious. Eacker’s second and I had to pull him off of them.”

“Second?” The EMT that was driving looked back at him through the mirror.

“Reworked Revolutionary Style duel. It’s like a gun duel, but with fists. Eacker cheated. He hit on nine and not on ten. He usually hits on seven, even if he agrees to hit on ten.” Xander was silent for the rest of the ride, and the EMTs were okay with it. They let him sit in silence as they drove.

 

\----

 

John and Alex sat with Xander in the waiting room after Philip was brought into the emergency room. While Alex typed on his phone, Xander was explaining what happened.

“Do you know what Eacker said in his speech,” John asked.

“He made some comments about you and Alex, some comments pertaining his mother and her partner and...” He trailed off as he focused on his fiddling hands.

“And what?”

“He outed Philip and I to the entire school.” John’s expression hardened. “That’s why school’s been hard for them. Everyone has been talking about it, and I’ve stopped a handful of fights.”

“When was this speech?”

“One week ago.” As he answered the question, the doctor walked out. Xander hurried to meet him.

“And who might you be?” The doctor smiled at him. He was so calm.

Xander held his hand out. “Xander Madison, I’m Philip’s boyfriend.”

The doctor returned the gesture. “So  _ you’re _ the one that he’s been asking for.”

“They,” Xander corrected. “Philip, although keeping their masculine name, uses they and them pronouns.”

“My apologies.” John walked up behind Xander and smiled at the doctor.

“I am assuming that you are Philip’s father.” The doctor smiled at John.

“I am one of their fathers,” John chuckled. “My husband is writing something on his phone right now, so he’s a bit out of it.”

“Well, Philip is conscious. They are a bit distressed, so try to be careful.”

“What’s the damage,” Xander asked as John went to go and grab Alex.

“Well, their skull is cracked. There is minor brain damage with tha-”

“What kind?”

“We are unsure as of now, but we do know that it is severe. That is just by observation of their symptoms.”

“What are the observable symptoms?” Xander kept in step with the doctor as he spoke.

“There is clear memory loss, they don’t remember why they ended up in the hospital. They’re having trouble forming complex and coherent sentences and we are going to test them for Broca’s Aphasia.”

“What’s that,” John asked.

“It is caused by injury to the left hemisphere of the brain. It makes forming complex sentences nearly impossible, and many will often speak in either broken sentences or just phrases,” Xander said as they arrived at the door.

“You know quite a lot about this, son.”

“I study these types of things in my free time.” The doctor opened the door. They walked in and Xander took in a deep breath to hold back the tears as he saw the state that his partner was in. They had bandages wrapped around their head and they just looked so  _ small _ in the bed.

It broke Xander’s heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going crazy with my writing, aren't I?
> 
> Follow me if you wish on Tumblr @ the-flaming-creampuff


	13. Backtrack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Backtracking is sometimes an important thing.

Theodosia and Frances sat on the floor of Frances’ room, and while she painted Theo’s nails, the other was ranting.

“My dad is always like, ‘Theo, I met this boy that I think you’ll like.’ I’ve already come out to you! You know I don’t like dudes, so why are you trying to push about it,” Theo yelled.

“My dads did their best to do it subtly. When I told them I don’t give a flying fuck about a person’s gender when it comes to romance, they sort of just backed off,” Frances laughed as she dipped the brush into the small bottle of nail polish. “They sort of pushed again when they found that Philip was dating Xander.”

“They’re still a really cute couple.”

“Yeah.”

“Where is Philip anyways?” Theo was changing the subject, but Frances decided to just go along with it.

“They’re at some student council speech-thing.”

“Wow, Fran, very eloquent.”

“Shush or I won’t finish painting your nails and I’ll smudge it.” She shot a playful glare at the other as she continued to paint Theo’s thumb. “I’m actually a little worried. It’s George Eacker making the speech, and we both know how bad he can be.” She took a deep breath. “Philip’s turning out to be more and more like Papa Alex every day.”

“So they’re probably going to do what he did to my dad,” Theo said grimly. “Alex challenged my dad to a duel, and Alex got the  _ living shit _ beaten out of him. John almost killed him for it.”

“Which one?”

“Both,” Theo chuckled. Frances let go of Theo’s hand and gestured for her to set up her other hand. She complied and the other continued with the task. The two sat in a calm silence as Frances worked, and it was Theo that broke it. “You have really pretty eyes, you know that?”

Frances’ face grew a shade of red as she kept painting. She began to stutter, trying to reply. Theo let out a small chuckle. “People say they’re like my mama’s,” she muttered. The other just smiled at this comment. “I never really liked my mama.” Theo’s smile dropped as Frances’ hands began to shake. “She used to let people hurt me. She got money, and people could hurt me. The only rule was that they couldn’t kill me. That’s why I don’t like it when people touch me. I get scared that they’ll hurt me.” She let a shaky breath in as she dropped the brush onto the rug, the pink nail polish staining the mint-green carpet. “I remember that some of the cuts and such were never deep enough to be able to scar, just enough for me to be in pain for days on end. It was always scary. I was sent there for a while about two years ago when Mama took Papa to court to try to get me back.”

“Frances,” Theo said calmly. “May I hold you? I think that the contact would be comforting.” She nodded as the other turned to sit next to Frances. “I’m going to put my arm around your shoulder, okay?” She nodded again and Theo went through with her action. Frances was quick to bury her face into Theo’s shoulder and sob.

“T-That’s when all of that happened. I-In the year that I had to stay with h-her.” She hiccupped.

“You don’t have to say any more, Fran.” Theo began to rock her and hum.

_ Though it’s faint, I know I hear another calling. _

_ Far away from a little world _

_ And you know, _

_ Even now I still am stalling, _

_ Just to be with you. _

 

\----

 

Theo’s humming eventually lulled the other to sleep. She took her phone out and called someone as soon as she knew that the other was sleeping soundly.

“Hello?”

“John,” she whispered. “It’s Theodosia, Aaron Burr’s daughter.”

“What do you need, Theodosia?”

“I’m with Frances right now. Did she tell you anything about the year that she stayed with her mother?”

“No. Did she say anything to you?”

“Yes, she did. It’s not pretty.”

“I’ll be home in about three minutes.”

“Come in quietly, she’s sleeping. We’re in her room.”

“Alright, thank you.”

“Any time, John.” With that, she hung up. Carefully lifting Frances, she carried the other to her bed. When she was able to stand up, she tucked the other into the bed. Planting a small kiss on her cheek, Theo picked up the nail polish and hurried down the stairs.

John was just walking in when she got to the bottom of the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar.

“What happened? What got her to talk,” John asked. He was clearly worried about his daughter, but seemed more wrapped up about what she said.

“I complimented her eyes, and she said that people have said that they look almost exactly like her mother’s. That’s when she told me. She was being sold, clearly on the black market, as some sort of human punching bag of sorts. She started crying, and seemed to be having an anxiety attack. I was able to calm her down, and she fell asleep.”

“Thank you for telling me this,” John said, tears pricking his eyes. “I knew something happened, but she refused to talk to either me or Alex about it.”

“I will also say this; be ready for Philip to engage in a duel with a George Eacker.” Theo stood. “I am going to go and make sure that she is alright, then I am going to clean what I can of the nail polish off of her carpet. It spilled.” With that, she continued to the stairs and went up.

She got to the door and opened it slowly. Frances had woken up and she was sitting on the floor. She had her back turned to the door, and was looking down at something. Theodosia walked in, getting closer to Frances. She heard a choked sob and a quiet sound of pain come from Frances. Theo approached slowly.

“Get out, Theodosia,” Frances snapped. “I’ll be downstairs in a few minutes.”

“Frances…?”

“Get. Out. NOW!” Frances turned around and snapped, hostility present both on her face and in her tone. It wasn’t violence, and it wasn’t anger.

It was defensive fear.

“Frances, I’m going to stay here.” She took another step closer. “You’re scared, I can see it. I don’t want you to be scared to be around me. Can you tell me what is wrong?”

“It’s not you, Theodosia,” Frances laughed. It was a somber laugh; the laugh of someone who has done something that they regret. “I could never be scared of you.” There was a small movement of her arm and another small noise of pain.

“Frances, what happened?”

“I don’t want to tell you. You’ll leave if I do.”

“I would never leave you, Fran. Why do you think that I would leave you?”

“Because no one wants someone as messed up as me…? Because I’m better off on my own? The list goes on.” She rolled her wrist and hand as she spoke, something sitting in her hand. Theo, dreading the worst, hurried forward and to Frances’ side.

She held a pin in her hand, and there were small scratches all on her legs and upper arms.

“Can I hug you again, Fran?” The girl shook her head. “Can I help you into bed?” She nodded. Theo helped her stand up, and got her back under the covers of her bed. She kneeled beside the bed, holding Frances’ hand. She didn’t protest to this contact.

“I’m sorry, you know that? I don’t really understand why I do this, I just do it. I get overwhelmed, and it just calms me down.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

“About two years.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“There wasn’t a point. Papa Alex and Papa Jack wouldn’t care, no one would.” She broke eye contact with Theo. “They wouldn’t care about it.”

“You know, Alex attempted.”

“What?”

“My dad found him. He’d overdosed on his sleeping pills, and was rambling in the hospital. Your papa should still have the transcript on hand. Alex said that he was tired of going non-stop. He just wanted to be still, to be numb. He took his sleeping pills, but they didn’t seem to be working. He took more and more until he ended up overdosing.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because of John’s reaction. He was a mess. He wouldn’t sleep, wouldn’t eat, he wouldn’t even leave his room. When he was finally allowed to go and see him, he didn’t leave. He refused to let Alex be alone. He was scared that he would attempt again, and that he might lose him for real.” Theo put the back of Frances’ hand to her forehead. “It’d be the same for you and me. I’d be scared to leave you alone. I wouldn’t want you to do something that we would all regret. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.” She kissed Frances’ hand. “I’m going to go and do something. Do you want your journal?” Frances nodded and the other gave her the small book. She grabbed a pencil and handed it to the other before walking slowly out of the room and down the stairs.

Alex was now sitting at the table with John, the both of them holding mugs of coffee. John looked up.

“Is everything alright? You were up there for an awful long time,” John asked.

“You need to get her into the Mental Emergency Center at the hospital immediately,” Theo said as she sat down. “She’s clearly suicidal, and scared of it. She’s has been engaging in mild self-harm for the past two years now.”

“The scratches…?” Alex gave her a look of disbelief.

“Brought on by one of her sewing needles,” Theodosia sighed. She ran her hands through her hair. “She’s scared, even when she’s doing it.”

“How did you find this out?”

“I just caught her doing it.” She changed the subject. “There is a clear lack of self-esteem, to the point of self-degradation. She knows that there is a problem, and she can’t face it alone. Take her in as soon as you can.”

“Do you want some coffee? Or tea?”

“Tea, preferably any fruit flavor.”

“You’re in luck. Frances will only drink fruit tea,” John chuckled. “Maybe some tea will help her, just a bit?”

“It’s worth a shot.” Theo smiled. “Which does she drink the most of?”

“Lemon.” Theo stood up and walked into the kitchen as John answered her question, grabbing the kettle. She began to fill it with water. “Theodosia, sit down. I’ll make it, and you can bring it up to her.” She only nodded before sitting down.

“John was telling me that you were able to get her to talk about her mother.” Theo nodded at this statement. “What was it that she told you?”

“She was being sold on the black market as a human punching bag -of sorts- in the year that she stayed with her mother.” She took in a deep breath. “She needs a support system, and you guys need to help me create it. She just had a anxiety attack, and that was why I left her upstairs to sleep.” She paused. “I’m going to be here as long as I am able to, but you two need to fill in when I can’t. She could lose everything just by her own hand, and we can’t let that happen.”

“What should we do?”

“Talk to her. Ask her how her day was. Also, get her in to be evaluated. We need to know to what extent the psychological damage is.” The two nodded at this. “If at all necessary, get her institutionalized. There’s a place not far from here that specializes in institutionalization of youth patients, and I’ve been studying there with my mother.” She took in a deep breath. “You don’t want to lose her, and I sure as hell don’t want to either.” She turned back to the stairs. “Observe her for the next week. If there is any suspicious behavior or any indication of continued self-harm, get her in as fast as you can. The place is always open.” She ran back up the stairs again.

She opened the door slowly, as to not scare Frances. She still jumped at the noise nonetheless, snapping her head up to look at whoever was there.

“Hey Fran,” Theo said quietly. “Can I come and sit with you?” Frances just nodded as Theo walked over to the other side of the bed. She crawled up onto the bed and sat next to her. Frances leaned her head on Theo’s shoulder and closed her eyes.

The other moved her arm to Frances’ hip, tapping it as to signal for her to scoot over. She did so and wrapped her arms around Theodosia’s torso. In response, Theodosia moved her hand up to Frances’ hair. As she began to play with the curls that covered her head, Frances made a noise of contentment. Theo smiled as the other’s breathing became calm, showing signs of sleep.

John walked in slowly, the door creaking with the creeping movement. He was carrying the two cups of tea. Theodosia silently shushed him, glancing down at Frances when he gave her a confused look. He just nodded and moved forward to hand one of the cups of tea to Theo, and set the other on the nightstand.

“Thank you,” John mouthed to her.

“Any time,” she whispered in response. He turned and walked back down the stairs, leaving the two in a calmed silence. Theo took in a deep breath, and it sounded so loud in the silence. Her breath hitched for a moment as she looked down at the sleeping figure next to her. She choked back a sob as a tear rolled down her face.

Frances just looked so peaceful, the sharp edges smoothed, and her fire becoming nothing more than an ember. Her breath caused small movements of her body, and would constantly shift her hair. She was curled into a ball, gripping onto the other for dear life. It was like she was hiding from the world. She was hiding from whatever would come to her, whether it was good or bad. 

Theodosia let out a soft laugh as tears flowed faster from her eyes. She kissed the top of Frances’ head. Her chest felt heavy, and her face felt warm. She quickly put one of her arms under the other’s legs and draped them over her own. She moved her cup of tea to the windowsill and rested her head on the other’s.

That is how the two fell asleep, both living in peaceful bliss as they were brought to a dreamworld that was nothing like reality.

 

\----

 

Alex and John sat at the table in their kitchen, staring at their cups.

“How did we not see this,” Alex said quietly. “She’s our daughter. We’re around her constantly.”

“We can’t always see these things. She is very good at hiding things, and was able to use it to her advantage,” John shot a playful glare at Alex. “Like  _ someone _ I know.”

“I wasn’t that bad!”

“You overdosed on sleeping pills and rambled in the hospital for three days. I still have the transcript on my computer.”

“I rambled? I just remember me being annoyed, taking my pills, sort of blacking out, and waking up in the hospital with you being completely hysteric and crying.”

“Yeah, you rambled non-stop. It was actually really scary to hear.” John grabbed his laptop and opened the document. He turned it to Alex and let him read his own words.

“I… I couldn’t have said that,” Alex said quietly. “I would never say those things.” John swears to god that he heard the other mutter, “I’d never say them outloud.”

“Well, you did. For  _ three days _ . My god you terrified me when you did that.” He took in a deep breath as Alex took out his phone. John gave him a confused look, but smiled when he heard the voice on the other line.

“Hello?”

“Aaron Burr, sir!”

“Alexander, what do you need?”

“Okay, the institution-place that your wife works at, do you have the phone number?”

“Why do you need it? Did you try again?”

“Fuck to the no. It’s for Frances.” Alex stopped.

John continued where he left off. “Your daughter is here, and she said that Frances has been suicidal. She’s sleeping right now, so I can’t bring her in. We just need the number so we can get some questions answered.”

“Oh, my little ‘Dosia. Her studying must be going well.” He sighed before he continued with his thought. “I’ll text you the number. Ask for my wife, and she’ll be able to help you the most.”

“Good day, Burr.”

“As to you.” With that, he hung up. Not even a second later, Alex’s phone pinged with a text.

‘ _ 701-555-0123 _

_ Ask for Tia Burr. _

_ Good luck.’ _

Alex dialed the number and the phone began to ring. 

“Charage County Recovery , how may I help you?”

“May I speak with Tia Burr?”

“One moment, sir.” With that, he was put on hold. Not even a second later, he was bumped into a call.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr.Non-Stop.”

“Hello Theodosia.”

“Why might you be calling today?”

“It’s Frances.”

“What might the problem be?"

“She…” Alex gulped. “She has apparently been self-harming for the past two years now and is suicidal.” He took in a deep breath. “And we have your daughter to thank for that information. She found Frances while she was doing it, and told us to call here.”

“Would you like us to send someone out there? Or would you like to bring her?”

“We should bring her. She’s like Alex when it comes to hostility,” John laughed.

“She is  _ worse _ than me, and I’m not even biologically related to her.” Tia laughed at that statement.

“Noted. When will you be bringing her in?”

“As soon as we can. We’ll try to get her in tonight, but might have to bring her tomorrow.”

“Alrighty! I’ll talk to you guys again soon!” With that, Alex hung up and looked at John.

“I can’t believe this,” John whispered, tears pricking his eyes. “She’s my little girl, with a brain like yours, my defensiveness, and more fire than the both of us combined. Everything just seemed alright.” Alex walked around to the other side of the table, wrapping his husband in a hug.

“We’ll get through this. I mean, you got through it with me, didn’t you?”

“I’ll try to get through this with less hysteria.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

Suddenly, John’s phone rang. He answered it.

“Hello?”

“Yes, is this John Laurens?”

“This is he. What might you need?”

“Well, I’m a nurse at the Charage Country Hospital. We have admitted your son.”

Alex’s phone rang. He answered it.

“ _ Eacker cheated! He fucking cheated and Philip is unconscious. They’re bleeding from the side of their head and I think their nose is broken. He hit on nine, and-and kept hitting. I think that Philip just had a seizure, but it has stopped. They’re still unconscious. I think there’s some damage to their skull. Eacker kept bashing their head on the cement of the floor.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thIS IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE UP FOR MY ABSENCE. IT'S OVER 3K WORDS AND IVE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR SO LONG AND THIS IS ALMOST OVER.
> 
> FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR @ THE-FLAMING-CREAMPUFF


	14. Talking, Talking, and The Wonderful World of Words

“Do you want to come and study with me,” Theo asked about a week after the incident. Frances had only been getting worse. More scars, worsening mood, depleting self-esteem, and so many more that she didn’t want to think about.

“At the institute?” Theo nodded. “Sure.”

“I’ll text Alex, just so he knows.”

**To {Alexander}:** It worked. We’re heading up there right now. Please call my mother and have her prepare.

She received a message of praise from him only seconds later. She smiled before putting her phone away. Frances threw-more like chucked-Theo’s sweater at her. The girl let out a half-hearted laugh as the other dodged it, catching it on her arm only seconds before it hit the ground.

“Want me to braid your hair before we go?” Frances nodded at this question, flopping on her swivel chair and scooting it to the bed. Theo climbed on the bed and sat behind her, her legs straddling the back of the chair as she began to section out the hair. “How do you feel?”

“I’m scared.”

“Why are you scared?”

“I...I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Frances,” Theo said in a warning tone. (AKA: The Mom Voice **™** ) “What did we talk about with you hiding stuff?”

“I’m only going to worry Alex, Papa, and you,” she muttered. She tried to change the subject. “Alex told the Schuylers.”

“Oh god.” Theo laughed. “What did they say?”

“Angelica gave a quote that she had used against Alex a while ago, but she changed it. You know how Ange writes songs? It was a line from one of her songs.”

“Can you sing it for me?” Theo’s voice was soft.

“ _ She’s becoming an Icarus, and she’s flown too close to the sun, _ ” Frances sang, her voice light and airy. “I don’t really know what it means.”

“She’s talking about how you’ve went about this situation.” Theo started the pattern of braiding the other’s hair. “Your step-father was an idiot, I will admit that. He was brash, abrasive, and didn’t have much of a filter. All of those things are true now, but that is besides the point. When Alex was married to Eliza, who is Philip’s birth mother, he ended up having sex with one Maria Reynolds. For about a year. Now, this was just a defiance thing, since he really doesn’t know how to back down from a fight. He exposed the whole thing himself because a few people knew about it and threatened to release it. Eliza was heartbroken, but still forgave him. It wasn’t long after that that they got divorced.” Theo sighed. “He was an Icarus, letting his pride and inability to know when to back down get to him, and this costed him a hell of a lot.”

“What does this ha-”

“Let me get there.” She smiled. “You were an Icarus, much like him. You let your fear of asking for help get to you, and it caused this. When you finally broke is when you flew too close to the sun.” Her voice became quiet. “But, for some, it’s good to become an Icarus. You have people to catch you when you fall.”

“I guess it makes sense now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING GONE


	15. What Would You Do?

“Now, back to our other conversation.” Frances became filled with fear. She had thought that her tactic had distracted the other. “Why are you scared?”

“It’s a question that I have for you. I mean, you study Psychology, so you would probably know what the answer is.” She took in a shaky breath. “What do you think would happen if I killed myself?”

Theo took in a sharp breath as she continued her braid. “W-Well, your papa would come home a-and he would see you. He’d shake you and try to…” She gulped. “He would try to wake you up, tears running down his face because he doesn’t believe what he is seeing. He doesn’t believe that… that his little girl would be laying on the floor, either dead or almost dead. He’d start screaming, so Alex would come in… He would come in and see what was wrong. He would see what happened. When they… When they found that you were dead, things would change. Alex would quit teaching after Philip found out, and he’d quit writing. Everything that he did would remind him of you, so he wouldn’t do anything. He wouldn’t even get out of bed unless he had to.

“John would most likely quit teaching at the same time that Alex would... and he’d probably start drinking again. No matter how much he drank, h-he would still see his baby girl, laying on… laying on the ground and not breathing. He wouldn’t sleep, since the memories of you would be too strong to sleep. H-He wouldn’t be home all that often, since everything here would remind him on you. While Alex would stop working…” She trailed off to stabilize her breath, and continued as soon as she did so. “John would bury himself in work, no matter what it was. He would be… He would be a shell of who he used to be, since he had just lost his only biological child. He would never really be okay again, no matter what he said.

“Philip,” she sighed. “Philip would never be the same. They would try to smile through their mourning, but... they would never be as happy and cheery as they used to. They… They wouldn’t know about it until the next morning, when-when their sister didn’t come bouncing down the stairs to grab some breakfast before they had to go to school. They would think that you had just woken up early and already went to school to... finish a project or something. When they finally got to school, Principal Washington would say over the announcements that Frances Laurens-Hamilton c-committed suicide. It would… It would finally sink into them as their peers and teachers gave them a look of pity... as they started to cry. Th-The teachers would send them home, and Washington would send your papa and Alex home. When they got home, Philip would break, starting to cry as they realized that their sister was dead. Alex would... start to explain that they had found you laying in your room, dead by however way you offed yourself.” Theo started to talk faster with each word. “Whether it was from a gun, pills, or even just hanging, they found you. Philip would run upstairs to try to find a letter. They would start to dig through your desk until they found four envelopes. One for them, one for Alex, one for John, and another that had no name. They would each open their letters, leaving the blank one, and cry together as they read your dying words.”

“How would you be,” Frances asked after a few seconds of silence. Theodosia let out a soft laugh.

“I’d… I’d be a mess, to be honest. My dad would wonder why I looked so... sad, why I looked so tired, why I wouldn’t eat, why I would barely leave my room anymore. I wouldn’t tell him, and just say that things were feeling off. Mom would know exactly what happened, since John would… John would ask her for recommendations for therapists for Philip. I-I wouldn’t be able to do my schoolwork, as working just made me think... of you. To be honest, I would probably attempt. In a heat-of-the-moment-kind-of-blur, I’d… I’d probably want to see you again. I would just want to hear your voice and see your smile and feel the warmth and calmness that would always radiate off of you. My-My mother would be holding my arms, stopping me from whatever I was about to do.” Theo took in another deep breath. “If you… If you killed yourself, you’d kill all those around you as well.” She finished the braid and snapped the ponytail on it, patting the other’s back. “Let’s head out.”

Theodosia’s eyes were glossy as Frances turned to look at her.


	16. The End

Even after Frances was admitted and Philip was in the hospital, the other two in the house still went to school. They drove together, Halsey playing quietly in the background as John fiddled with his hands.

“Do you think-”

“Frances and Philip are going to be fine,” Alex chuckled. “Philip’s in good hands at the hospital, and Frances has Tia if she needs anything at he institution.” The small smile on his face dropped. “I just realized that when it comes to trying to have our kids  _ not _ get stuck in the hospital, we are the  _ worst _ match.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been in the hospital more times than I can count, and the same goes for you. We’re really bad at picking fights and we’ve been in the hospital multiple times for suicide attempts. Now, we have one kid that’s in the hospital for getting into a fight and another that’s institutionalized.” He smiled again. “Still, they’ll be fine.”

 

\----

 

From one visitation to another, the Hamiltons’ learned to live.

Frances went to the therapist every week for six months after leaving her two-months of institualization. Philip recovered quickly and visited their sister whenever they could.

Theodosia had a pattern every day. She would go to school, come home, eat, then go to the hospital to visit Philip. When she was done, she’d spend the rest of the day with Frances. Well, she’d spend her entire day in visiting hours with Frances. When Philip recovered, the two went together to see her.

Things weren’t entirely okay, but they were getting there.


End file.
